Fate
by Born2WriteFanfics
Summary: Two people brought together, by fate. And the only way to learn from their past mistakes was to learn from each other. Is it possible that two people, two different souls, can learn to let love in and right their wrongs? Thanks, to fate. . .
1. Prologue

FATE prologue

Jude gazed out of the car window as her taxi came to a stop outside her destination.

"This good enough for you honey?"

The taxi driver turned round to the backseat where she was sat. Jude snapped out of her daydream. _It had been quite a long car ride-and a very emotional day. _

"Yea, yea here's a fine thanks," she replied.

She handed him the appropriate fare and climbed out, getting her suitcase out of the trunk and grabbing herself a baggage trolley. The glossy white tiled floor made her eyes hurt as she entered the terminal and queued up to check-in. The queue was long, and consisted ironically of headache inducers: screaming babies, mothers shouting, children running around in between the barriers, slipping over. Jude closed her eyes and momentarily considered going back; chickening out. _I can't_ she told herself. _I have to do this_.

"Who's next please?"

The lady at desk 3 called. Jude stepped forward and pushed her trolley up to the desk. She handed her tickets over and rested a tired arm on the side.

"I expect you'll be glad to get on the flight and get some rest," the lady said. Jude looked at her.

"You look tired," the lady said softly.

Jude half-smiled and rubbed her forehead. "Yea, it's, um, it's been a tiring day."

"Well, if you'd just like to place your baggage on the conveyor belt, you can go and sit in the departure lounge and get some coffee before your flight," the lady said.

Jude picked up her luggage and watched it go onto the conveyor belt and disappear past the plastic tassels hanging down. She slung her brown leather rucksack-her hand luggage-over her shoulder and took her tickets.

"Have a nice flight," the lady said. "Next please!"

*

"Last call for flight 213," the intercom spoke. Jude stirred.

"_Last_ call for flight 213," the intercom repeated. Jude sat up and looked around. She was slumped over her cafe table, her tenth cup of coffee stone cold, her magazine was open page 15, the corner crumpled where she'd been laying on it. _Flight 213_. She checked her ticket. _Last call._

Her chair screeched on the tiles as she began running for the gate, her rucksack bashing against her side as she ran. _Which gate?_ She spotted the board and went to check her gate number. _Gate 10._ Her running increased as her chest became tight and her throat hurt. She dodged past people and came to a halt outside of Gate 10.

_What am I doing?_ She thought. _Maybe there was a reason I missed the call for the flight. Maybe _-

"Are you for the last call for flight 213?"

Jude glanced up at the woman.

"Miss? May I have your ticket please?"

Jude handed her ticket over. _I have to go back._

"You're the last for the flight, make sure you hurry," the woman said.

_I have to go back._

"I'm going back," Jude whispered thinking a loud.

"I'm sorry ma'm, what did you say?" the woman said.

"I have to go back," Jude repeated, a bit louder this time, grabbing her ticket and turning back, running even faster.

"Miss?" the woman called.

Jude carried on running.

"Miss!"

Jude ran all the way down the escalator, past the departure lounge, into the check-in and out into the open air by the taxi stand. She signalled for the next taxi, which gladly pulled up in the bay. She clambered in the back seat and threw her rucksack onto the seat next to her.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

Jude took a deep breath. "Home."


	2. Chapter 1

FATE chapter 1

_6 months before..._

Jude took a deep breath and pushed the glass door that separated her from her fate. She heard her Converses squeak on the shiny tiled floor and went over to the reception desk.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked. She looked middle aged, with a blue trouser-suit on, and her straight blonde hair tied up in a bun.

"Um...I," Jude stammered. She hated talking to strangers. Taking a deep breath, she tried again, thanks to the receptionist's encouraging smile. "I'm here for the meeting today."

The receptionist nodded in response and tapped a few keys on the computer. "The meeting is on level 3, room 24 today," she read off the screen. "Please, go on up, and they'll be somebody there to greet you and settle you in."

Jude smiled warmly. "Thank you." She headed to the lift and pressed the 'up' arrow button. Tapping her foot nervously whilst she waited for the lift, she looked around at the room. White tiles, white walls, _it looks freshly painted_ she thought. It was a posh building, normally used for conferences and business meetings. But that was definitely not what Jude was here for. The lift made a 'ting' noise and the doors opened. She walked in and pressed for level 3. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes as the lift doors began to close. _This is it_ she thought. _No going back now_.

"Stop!" a voice called.

Jude looked to see a (fairly good looking) young man running towards her lift. She pressed the 'doors open' button and held it for him.

"Thanks," he said, out of breath. "Level 3 please."

_He's going to the same floor as me...maybe there's something else in another room...or maybe he's here for the same reason I am..._

The lift fell into an uncomfortable silence. Not for any particular reason, just no-one knew quite what to say.

Jude glanced at his appearance. Faded jeans, a light blue t-shirt underneath a leather jacket, and scruffy brown hair. He had shaved though. She glanced back at her own appearance. Ripped jeans, a blue jumper with a plain white t-shirt underneath, and black Converses. _Neither of us are dressed smartly..._

The lift 'tinged' again. "Level 3."

The doors opened. Jude hurried out and found her room. She read the door plaque:

**Room 24**

**Counselling and Therapy**

"You here for this to?"

Jude jumped and saw the 'lift man' standing next to her, tapping the plaque on the door.

"Er, no, no," she stammered. "I just, got off at the wrong level. Sorry."

She slung her brown leather rucksack over her shoulder and pushed past him and back to the lift. She watched him frown slightly, but breathed a sigh of relief when he opened the white door of room 24 and disappeared from her sight. She cursed a few times to herself, then pushed level 2 and waited a few moments on that level, before telling herself she had to go back to the right floor and just walk in. _You can do this_ she said, over and over as the lift climbed back to level 3. The foreboding 'ting' of the lift sent a sickening feeling to Jude's stomach as her feet reluctantly carried her to room 24. She stood outside the door and checked her watch. She was late.

_If only that man hadn't came in the lift with me!_

Hearing voices from inside the room, she slowly pushed open the door and saw the group counselling session in progress. A circle of eleven chairs were on the blue carpeted floor, and the counsellor was part of the circle. Heads turned as Jude walked in, her boots not making a sound on the floor. Had the door not made a noise when it shut no-one would have heard her.

"Sorry I'm late," Jude said quietly. She shuffled her hands nervously and looked down at the ground, feeling her cheeks burn.

"Don't be sorry," the counsellor said. "We've only just started. Please, sit down, and we've just started introducing ourselves."

Jude slowly made her way to the empty chair, sat down and placed her rucksack down at her feet.

"Now that the circle is complete," the counsellor said softly, "We'll start from the top."

Jude fidgeted in her seat, careful not to make eye contact with the man from the lift. Evidently, she'd been lying about not going to the counselling session.

The counsellor continued speaking. "Hello, my name is Margaret."

"Hello Margaret," the rest of the group chorused.

"I'm 43 years old, and I am a counsellor. I want to help people overcome their fears, worries, problems in life. I want to help people turn over a new leaf. And more importantly, I'm here for all of you today, and for the rest of your sessions with me, group and individual, to talk to. Whatever you want to talk to me about, whatever you want to get out of your system, you can talk to me about it." Margaret smiled and it was the persons turn sat to her left to introduce themselves.

"Hello, my name is Richard."

"Hello Richard."

I'm 25...and..." he looked at the floor. "I am an alcoholic. I have been for nearly 2 years now...and, I want to change."

"Hi my name is Halle, and I am struggling in my job at the moment - "

"- Hi Halle."

"And, well...I've been getting more and more depressed over it...and I suppose," she took a deep breath. "I suppose I just need a bit of help to get myself back on track again."

"Hi I'm Max."

"Hi Max."

"And I'm here because I just recently lost my girlfriend in a car accident. I think it's important for me to talk about it and get it out in the open."

"Hi my name is Katherine."

"Hello Katherine."

"I've been addicted to cocaine since I was 18...and 3 years on...I need help." Katherine bowed her head sadly.

The circle reached Jude's turn. She straightened up in her chair and took a deep breath. She caught the man from the lift looking at her across the circle. His expression was unreadable.

"My name is Jude," Jude said softly.

"Hi Jude."

She paused.

"I am probably the youngest in the room right now," she managed to laugh. The counsellor smiled reassuringly. "Um, I'm 18 years old. And when I was 15 I got into," she took a deep breath. "I got into my first relationship." She smiled as she remembered. "It was great at first, he bought me flowers, came round my house for dinner, met my parents, my sister...and then, at my 16th birthday party," Jude bit her bottom lip. "He broke up with me and brought his new girlfriend to the party. I guess ever since then I haven't been able to love anyone else, or trust anyone else. I keep to myself, I...I don't go out...I don't date, and I don't share my feelings with anyone. And, I want to learn to love again."

The room was silent as she spoke, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she'd finished and it was the next persons turn.

"My name is Shaun. I am 20 years old, just a bit older than Jude there, and I spent my childhood with an abusive father."

A tense silence fell on the room.

"I bottled it up and pretended it didn't happen, but I think it's time to face my fears about what really happened."

"Hello, my name is Sophie."

"Hi Sophie."

"I am 23 years old, and I am addicted to prescription drugs. I want counselling to help me get off them, and I want to feel confident in myself without having to take the pills to feel like I fit in with everyone else."

"Hi, my name is Liam."

"Hi Liam."

"And I have recently been released from prison for, well, to put it bluntly, for being a wife-beater. I got married to the most perfect woman when I was 20. And then I got addicted to alcohol, and started hitting her and...well, my consequence was prison. But I'm a changed man, and I want to make sure I stay changed. I want counselling to help me get back to the way I was. A good husband."

"Hi my name is Sara."

"Hi Sara."

"This isn't the first time I've been here. I'm an addict. And I want help. I used to help people who needed me-I was a psychiatric nurse. I still want to help people. But first, I need to help myself."

It was the tenth and last person's turn to introduce themselves. The man from the lift.

"Hi," his eyes met mine across the room. "My name is Tommy."

"Hi Tommy."

"And I hurt people. That's my ammo."

I looked up from the floor.

"I hurt the people that are the ones I care most about." His eyes looked sad. "I left home as soon as possible and came to Toronto to find myself. And, I guess, I just hurt everyone along the way."


	3. Chapter 2

FATE chapter 2

"Okay, well that's the end of the group session today," Margaret said to the group as they returned to their seats. "You all seem to have bonded really well, and I'm glad that the first session went so smoothly. I will see you all next Wednesday, same time. Make sure you check at the reception desk for the right room."

There was a movement of chairs and people picking up handbags, or in Jude's case, rucksacks. She slung hers over her shoulder and headed for the door as quickly as possible. Much as that session wasn't too bad, she wasn't one for socialising-that's what the counselling was for. She was stalled on her exit by the pile of leaflets by the door:

**Margaret Denier**

**Counsellor and Therapist**

Inside was a business card too. And a price list. Jude unclipped her rucksack and folded the leaflet in half; stuffing it and grabbing the door handle to exit.

"Hi, I'm Tom."

Jude turned round to see Tommy-the lift man-standing next to her. She felt herself blushing. Hell, he was good looking!

"Hi," she said quietly.

"I know that, I already introduced myself back there but I thought I'd introduce myself to you personally," Tommy said, holding out his hand. Jude shook it gently and found herself smiling.

"Well, it's good to meet you, personally," Jude said.

"Would you like to go for some coffee or something?" Tommy said slowly. He took the look on Jude's face to be a no. "God, no don't think I'm some kind of stalker person!" he exclaimed. "You just seem like a nice girl and," he took a deep breath. "And now I'm babbling."

Jude laughed. He did seem nice. And genuine. She opened her mouth to answer, to say yes, but she felt her defence mechanisms kicking in, her barrier.

"That's a really nice offer," she said. "But," she sighed.

"If you don't want to that's fine," Tommy finished. He didn't look mad. He looked okay with it.

"Really?" Jude said slowly. "I don't wanna seem like a bitch or whatever."

Tommy smiled at her. He had nice eyes. "Really, its fine," he reassured her. "Maybe another time."

Jude smiled at him and they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways until next week. She felt a warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach as she headed home._ I should have said yes!_ She thought, kicking herself at freaking out over a coffee. _A coffee! No motives! Just a damn coffee and you had to go and say no!_

She unlocked the front door and threw her bag down in the hall. She sighed and pressed the answer phone for new messages.

"_You have no new messages" _The familiar message voice said.

"As per usual," she grumbled to herself. She raided the cupboards for anything to snack on. Finding nada she headed to the living room and switched on the TV. Flicking aimlessly through the channels the front door rattled open.

"Jude?"

Jude stood up and went to help her mom with the shopping that she was lugging through the door.

"Hey mom," Jude said, taking two bags and kissing her mom on the cheek.

"Hey honey," her mom replied. "Had a good day?"

Jude sighed deeply and smiled. "Yea," she said. "Yea it was a great day."

And for once, she actually meant it. Funny what one session of counselling can do!


End file.
